Track 12: The Weight of a Single Grain of Rice →
The weight of a grain of rice is 0.029 grams. That's pretty minuscule in the grand scheme of any given day, not at all intimidating. Neither is a mustard seed, but Jesus said that faith the size of a mustard seed would be enough to move a mountain. So what about a grain of rice? What could it do? Could it move a mountain? Could it change a life? Would a single grain of rice, .O29 grams of weight, be enough to crush the human heart?
When God moves among the ordinary, the mustard seed will move a mountain and the grain of rice will crush a heart.
If you talk to my wife she can attest to all the things that humble and amaze me. She sees the wonder that wells up in my eyes and heart when we're sitting at our table, in a room that has heat, in a room that has electricity, drinking clean water at the turn of a knob. Driving a car...sleeping in a bed. It absolutely amazes me. I wish I could say that is ALWAYS who I am, but the rest of the story is a fair case study of the human condition of wavering between truth and self, moment by moment.
My mind keeps returning to the thought that the easier we've made living, the less appreciative we've become of our lives. We were out with Etta the other night; we took her to experience Toys "R" Us for the sake of getting a picture of her in there - and giving her some minor strand of connection to our experience growing up. (Also in case we have to prove to her one day that life did exist beyond binary commerce, we'll have evidence.)
I told Lou that night how nothing seems like a big deal anymore. We talked about our trips to the big city of Omaha from our youth. That was a big deal! Thinking of our parents driving two lane roads all the way from our little towns, for hours, with no GPS, no phones, no Google. Just get in the car and the adventure begins. Maybe you'll get lost, maybe a blizzard is coming, maybe life will just happen and all the effort of the journey will make getting to the destination so much more of a "We're here!" and less of a "What's next?"
Now the memory of the good ole days is always double filtered for our enjoyment, but thankfulness is a timeless truth.
I've always loved this proverb:
“Two things I ask of you, LORD; do not refuse me before I die: Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.
Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.”
What a pure request. A few months ago, I was eating a meal at a potluck. I was winning as I generously gambled on multiple dishes...until one of the mysteries had uncooked rice in it! After biting into a warm dish with a hard piece of rice, my winning streak came to an abrupt end. I remember telling Lou that “I HATE UNCOOKED RICE!" As soon as those words left my mouth, I immediately felt one grain of uncooked rice crushing my heart.
The Holy Spirit knew my heart was out of order and corrected me - from a bad attitude to complete gratitude. I began to overflow with thankfulness that there was even food on the table!
That proverb reverses it all. God took away the falsehood, the fiction of the thanklessness of that moment and replaced it with thankfulness for my daily bread and the need to remember the kindness and gracious favor of the Lord in all things.
Oh Let my heart never be blinded by my own abilities and labor, my own definition of plenty and possessions that I lose sight of the timeless truth that it is my God who provides. And rejoice with thankfulness. Thankfulness will protect the heart from sin.
A man that is thankful for God will not build an idol.
He will not take the name of his Lord in vain.
A man thankful for truth will not lie.
A man thankful for his wife will not commit adultery.
A man thankful for his neighbor will not covet what he doesn't have himself.
A heart overflowing with thankfulness is a mighty worshiper.
“Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.”